In the Pit, Homecoming election overshadows municipal election

It's Election Day and the Pit is full of campaign signs.

Homecoming campaign signs.

Compared to the tall A-frame signs that lined the entire length of the Pit, the few campaigners for municipal elections by Lenoir seemed to be swallowed up by comparison.

Part of the reason why municipal election campaigns haven't been as visible on campus is because students are scattered across campus on Election Day, said freshman political science major Zaina Alsous, who was campaigning in the Pit for mayoral candidate Mark Kleinschmidt.

And since early voting is over, there are multiple sites, many off-campus, where students must vote in person. They cannot vote online, as they would for Homecoming.

"If you had online voting in the municipal elections, probably about 90 percent of students would vote," said junior business administration major Kendall Law, who was out in the Pit supporting Matt Czajkowski for mayor.

But there's still campaigning going on.

"When I say Mark, you say Kleinschmidt!" shouted some members of Young Democrats, who endorsed Kleinschmidt for mayor.

The organization has been handing out information about their choices for the mayoral and Town Council races, giving rides to voting sites and running phone banks. Czajkowski's supporters, although unaffiliated with any campus political group, have also been actively campaigning during the past few days.

Also spotted in the Pit was a supporter of Town Council candidate Matt Pohlman.

No matter who they supported, campaigners agreed that it's crucial that students get out the vote for their town.

"I just hope students can recognize that although this is a municipal election, the repercussions really deal with student life," Alsous said.

The polls are open until 7:30 p.m. To learn more about the candidates or find out where you can vote, visit our voting guide.